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Gov. Eliot Spitzer is scheduled to speak to the National Conference of Editorial Writers at 10:30 a.m. at the Rockefeller Institute on State Street. At 12:30 p.m., he is slated to deliver the keynote address at the Family Planning Advocates Luncheon at the EmpireÂ State Plaza ConventionÂ Center.

NegotiationsÂ took place over the weekend, and progress was made. ButÂ sticking points on three key issues – property tax relief, educationÂ aid distribution and healthcare funding -Â kept a deal out of reach.Â Â

Are they loophole closers or tax increases? It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

If the budget is late, which some insiders say now appears inevitable, it will be the first big defeat of Spitzer’s governorship. Some say his biggest mistake was underestimating how hard Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, would fight.

Spitzer may still be at odds with Bruno, but he reportedly has resolved an argument over state funding with NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

In a Post op-ed, Assemblyman Darryl Towns (chair of the Assembly Banking Committee and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus) said the state should “look elsewhere” – such as at the troubled Empire Zone program – for the money it would get from closing loopholes.

The firms vying for the lucrative NYRA franchise are spreading campaign cash far and wide.

In the wake of the rat problem in NYC, Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, has proposed a letter grading system for the city’s restaurants.

Undercover officers from theÂ NYPD traveled across the nation to observe people who planned to protest at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, said 91,000 New York families could lose their homes next year as the result of subprime mortgages and called for more federal oversight of these lenders.Â More here and here.Â Â

More Republican U.S. senators are turning on embattled US AG Alberto Gonzales.

In ’08 news…

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, raised a record $10 million in a single week.Â More here.

About Capitol Confidential

Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.